Barnsley College Principal Awarded OBE

Colin Booth, Principal of Barnsley College, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

Colin, who has been Principal of Barnsley College for six years, received the honour for services to education, rewarding his 30 year career in the Further Education (FE) sector.

The New Year Honours list 2015 recognises the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people across the UK and saw 1,164 people receive an award.

Colin Booth

Colin, aged 55, said: “I am pleased to be named to receive an OBE in the New Year Honours List and I am very proud of the things that I have helped to make happen so far in 30 years of working in the FE sector. I have had the fortune to work for and with some of the best people in the FE sector and most importantly I have had innovative, imaginative and committed people working for me in the three colleges where I have been a manager – South Thames, Newcastle and Barnsley. This honour truly is a reflection of the effort of everyone I have worked with. I am particularly proud of what the whole staff team at Barnsley College have achieved over the last six years and I am determined that the college will continue to grow and to prosper. Despite the tough challenges to come, I believe that the town and borough of Barnsley has the talent, the determination and the community spirit to make a positive future. I want to keep working on new ideas in Barnsley and I also want to spend as much time as I can working with the national Association of Colleges (AoC) to help ensure that colleges are recognised as a central part of any future government’s education and training priorities.”